Kristie Johnston - Independent Member for Clark

13/05/2026

✨NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE WEEK✨
🧡🧡

Swing by Goodwood Community Centre this morning for a bite to eat, cuppa and a chat and a community BBQ Friday afternoon!

🥐Brunch - bring a plate to share if you can🍽
📍Thursday 14 May - 11:30am – 1:00pm

🌭 Free Community BBQ - Halal, vegan & vegetarian options available
📍Friday 15 May - 4:30pm – 6:30pm

🎉This week Goodwood Community Centre are also celebrating 42 years, what a milestone! 🎉
Neighbourhood Houses and Community Centres are crucial places for support, connection and community spirit.

🧡For more information visit - www.nht.org.au/houses/goodwood-community-centre // 6272 2560
Check out your closest - www.nht.org.au

13/05/2026

✨NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE WEEK✨
🧡🧡

Bucaan Community House are hosting a free BBQ with activities to celebrate Neighbourhood House Week.
🎲12:30pm Thursday 14th 12.30pm🎲
📍 Bucaan Community House, 8 Bucaan Street, Chigwell

Bucaan have a huge range of programs for you to check out, including craft groups, pilates and a community garden🌿

💙For more information visit - www.nht.org.au/houses/bucaan-community-house-inc // 6249 5363
Check out your closest - www.nht.org.au

13/05/2026

Impacts of the Health Department bungling of a replacement breast screening bus will unfortunately continue being felt perhaps into next year as delays over its procurement continue.

Women relying on the replacement bus being on the road by September, as promised by Health Minister Bridget Archer, now need to make other arrangements.

Please call BreastScreen Tasmania on 13 20 50 to sort an alternative screening.

The broken-down breast screen bus “Luna” which serviced the state’s south and east coast was finally taken off the road in April last year, after months of being carried around on the back of a truck and years of ongoing bungling to replace it.

I was briefed today by Ms Archer after calling on Monday for a delivery update.

Ms Archer clearly understood the problem, and I was left in no doubt she genuinely shares my extreme disappointment the delivery has been pushed out to December.

I also welcome Ms Archer accepting my suggestion, that given the problematic lead times, work commence on sourcing another (third) bus to replace the north’s mobile service “Ida”, now experiencing maintenance issues of its own.

This will add another bus to the existing schedule and assist in prolonging Ida’s lifespan and future-proof against any further issues, such as mechanical or equipment failure.

The mobile screening for regional women is an essential, lifesaving service.

The breast screening clinics in city centres are of course welcome.

But they do not replace the bus service that travels to meet rural and regional women where they live.

While Luna is off the road women have to travel long distances to their nearest clinic, or delay screening altogether.

People from the East Coast, the West Coast and in regional and rural Tasmania have had to travel great distances to access breast screening services.

Some women with work and caring commitments just aren’t easily able to do that, so I’m worried women will be missing out on lifesaving breast screening services.

Please call BreastScreen Tasmania on 13 20 50.

12/05/2026

Tasmania has a mental health problem with thousands of Tasmanians struggling with the cost of living, housing stress, isolation, loneliness and uncertainty.

Many of them are feeling unsafe but are not in crisis – not yet – but they can feel themselves sliding into crisis.

For them there is a service that picks up the phone. It’s called A Tasmanian Lifeline – part of Lifeline Tasmania – a free, nonclinical support line available daily from 8am to 8pm.

It’s not a counselling service. It’s not a crisis hotline. It sits in an approachable space between the two, the space where most of us live when things start to go wrong.

Call volumes to the service rose 22 per cent in 2025, driven by financial stress, housing pressure and loneliness.

In the May state budget, the Tasmanian government can secure ongoing funding for this vital service.

It would be one of the smartest economic decisions the budget could make.

Here’s why – https://bit.ly/3R2yiGg

12/05/2026

✨NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE WEEK✨
🌻🌻

Come along to Kingston Neighbourhood House's Morning Tea, with games, activities and lucky door prizes.
📍Wednesday May 13th 10-11.30am.

The following week they will be hosting Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea to raise money for the
📍Tuesday May 19th at 10-11.30am

Regular programs include:
✨Gearing Up - Helping people gain their driver's license.
💜 - The Kingston Repair Café invites people to bring in broken items and skilled volunteers help mend and restore these items.
🧡 - Every Thursday morning including school holidays
9:30am – 11:30am.
✨Eating with Friends - Community lunch on the last Friday of each month.
🧡Morning Tea with Friends - Opportunity to enjoy a cuppa and have a good chat with friendly faces. Held on the second Wednesday of each month.
💜Community Garden Club - First Saturday of the month.
✨Craft Groups - Coffee, Craft & Chat every Monday. Knitting Club every Wednesday.

For more information visit - www.kingstonnh.org.au // 6229 4066
Check out your closest - www.nht.org.au

12/05/2026

Thank you 🙏

Today, the ANMF proudly celebrates all nurses for International Nurses Day (12 May).⁠
⁠
Thank you for your incredible hard work, compassion, and dedication. Throughout May, the ANMF Tasmanian Branch will be visiting workplaces, delivering gifts to members and their teams as a small token of our appreciation.⁠
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Join us in celebrating the amazing work nurses do every day ❤️⁠
⁠

11/05/2026

✨NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE WEEK✨
🌿🌿

Join me for some afternoon tea at Karadi Community House☕️
📍Today 1.30-3.30pm @ 4 Rothesay Circle Goodwood.

Regular events and services
🧡Monday🧡
- Yoga 9.30am - Food Pantry 10am - Walking Group 10.30am - Gym Group 4pm.

✨Tuesday✨
- CHSO Day Group 10am, Community Garden and Shed 1.30pm.

🧡Wednesday🧡
- Elders Group 10.30am - Digital Inclusion Program 1.30pm, Partnering with COTA (Council On The Ageing) Tasmania - Gym Group 4pm.

✨Thursday✨
- Men's Group 2-5pm.

🧡Friday🧡
- Yoga 9.30am - Craft Co-op 10.30am - Moreton Group interim GP service 11am (fortnightly).

For more information visit - www.karadi.org.au // 6272 3511
Check out your closest - www.nht.org.au

11/05/2026

BREAST SCREEN BUS DELAYS CONTINUE … Can women needing a breast screen still rely on the replacement bus being available in September or do they need to plan and make other arrangements?

It’s beyond disappointing to hear the Department of Health say construction of a replacement breast screen bus is yet to commence, and the bus is expected to be ready “later this year”.

The broken-down breast screen bus Luna which serviced the state’s south and east coast was finally taken off the road in April last year, after months of being carried around on the back of a truck and years of bungling to replace it.

Disturbingly, a Department of Health spokesman told the ABC yesterday: “The delivery of a new bus screening unit is on track for completion later this year, with design and planning completed and construction to commence shortly.”

That’s a worry after Health Minister Bridget Archer in response to my question on 9 September last year told parliament the replacement breast screen bus was a priority for her, and her government was absolutely committed to the service.

“The replacement bus is now expected to be on the road in the next 12 months” Ms Archer told parliament at the time.

Soon after in a media release, Ms Archer repeated the deadline saying the government "anticipate[s] that it will be operational by September next year".

Obviously, we need an urgent update on the delivery date for the replacement bus and question if we should be ordering another mobile service after the northern mobile unit “Ida” was out of service recently with a maintenance issue.

Can women needing a breast screen still rely on the replacement bus being available in September or do they need to plan and make other arrangements?

This is not a luxury service, this is a life-saving service and the government should hang their heads in shame.

It’s simply not good enough that we could have had a replacement bus service earlier but for the procurement bungling and now we are waiting more than 18 months with specific delivery date locked in. Ends

11/05/2026

✨NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE WEEK✨

This week is all about celebrating the incredible work does for the community across Tasmania.
Swing by for a BBQ, craft session, gardening group or a chat over a cuppa.
Neighbourhood Houses are places for connection.

Check out the local events and supports that are available to you by following their pages below or see here - https://www.nht.org.au/events/neighbourhood-house-week-2026

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🌿seedling workshop and afternoon tea - Tuesday 12th May 1.30pm🌿
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🥪Toasties & Coffees - Friday 15th May 9.30am🥪
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🌭 Community BBQ - Friday 15th May 4.30pm🌭

🎲 BBQ & Games - Thursday 14th 12.30pm🎲
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🫖Supersized Morning Tea - Wednesday 13th 10am🫖
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🍞Loaves and Fishes - free bread and veggies Thursdays from 11.30am

10/05/2026

The community service sector remains terrified about what the May state budget could mean for vulnerable Tasmanians.

Many services are experiencing skyrocketing demand – and say they’re forced to make their own cuts to compensate.